October 23, 2013

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CAMPUS & METRO

FOOTBALL

CAMPUS & METRO

The University performed its first successful kidney transplant in 1963.

Jerry Kill was at the game Saturday and called recruits Sunday afternoon.

One hopeful wants to abolish the Minneapolis mayor position.

University looks back on organ transplant history

Kill still on leave, still around his team

u See PAGE 5

u See PAGE 10

PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 40° LOW 29°

U OF M

Candidates talk city government reforms u See PAGE 14

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

WEDNESDAY

OCTOBER 23, 2013

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

MSA takes Remembering on recent John Berryman robberies O

Through a life defined by tragedy, the controversial poet and professor created lasting work. BY EMILY EVELAND eeveland@mndaily.com

In response to student concerns, MSA is upping its prevention efforts.

BY KYLE STOWE kstowe@mndaily.com

A recent uptick in robberies and assaults on or near the University of Minnesota campus is concerning students, and some organizations are taking note. In response to student concerns, the Minnesota Student Association is working with other groups on further crime prevention efforts, which could include safety education and the installation of more lights on campus. University police have sent out crime aler ts for eight robberies and as-

saults this semester, an increase from the same period of time last fall. Freshman Laurel Kabat said she’d like to see improvements in lighting and additional patrols to help her feel safer around campus. “All the crime lately has made me feel a little nervous, especially at night,” she said. “I hope we can find ways to keep them from happening again.” MSA President Mike Schmit said crime is an increasingly important issue for student government. “We need to find out why people are being robbed at gunpoint recently and why people are being mugged at 3 p.m.,” he said. “We need

u See CRIME Page 3 MSA is planning to work with landlords and other U groups.

CAPITAL REQUEST

Lab staff hope for updates The 2014 capital request is focused on improving and building labs. BY KATELYN FAULKS kfaulks@mndaily.com

In the Tate Laboratory of Physics, students sit on the ground as they study and prepare for classes. Many ceiling tiles are broken and moldy, lighting fixtures are cracked and window frames are rotten. University of Minnesota faculty and students agree it’s time for a renovation. The state Legislature didn’t approve funding for improvements to Tate Lab last session. But the Board of Regents approved the

University’s 2014 Capital Request on Oct. 11, which asks the state for nearly $233 million to fund improvements to Tate and five other campus building and renovation projects. The Tate Lab renovation is projected to cost $85 million in total, with $56.7 million requested from the state. The proposed projects on the Twin Cities campus would improve some labs and build new ones. Listed potential projects include the Bee Lab, the College of Biological Sciences Greenhouse and a brand-new Microbial Sciences Research Building. u See LABS Page 4 Some labs have decaying ceilings and foundations.

BUSINESS

U bookstores struggle to make ends meet The U’s bookstores are facing more competition from online vendors. BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com

As more students are buying their textbooks online, sales at University of Minnesota Bookstores are declining. University Chief Financial Of ficer Richard Pfutzenreuter said the University’s system-wide bookstores need to make changes in order to compete with the online market. The University of Minnesota Bookstores, which include ever y bookstore system-wide except one on the Duluth campus, aren’t bankrupt or in a financial

crisis — but they are struggling, Pfutzenreuter said. “The profit is thin,” he said, “They’re not making money hand over fist.” In the last three years, textbook net sales have fallen by almost $2.8 million. The Bookstores will continue to expand their inventor y of rental and used books to compete with online retailers, said University Bookstores Director Bob Crabb. “We are going to compete very aggressively and do ever ything we can,” he said. Crabb said profits are nar rowing because the University has negotiated for lower prices with publishers in recent years, but u See BOOKSTORES Page 5 Students said they prefer buying textbooks online.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ARCHIVES

John Berryman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and professor at the University of Minnesota, published many critically acclaimed and still-beloved poems before his suicide in 1972.

He would come to class sometimes shaking, and you could see that he’d had a hard night, but

he never lectured in a less than brilliant manner. Berryman’s friend and former student Judith Healey

n the mor ning of June 26, 1926, John Allyn Smith Sr. allegedly shot himself dead outside his 11-year-old son’s bedroom window. John Allyn Smith Jr., later renamed John Ber r yman, would spend the rest of his life trying to make sense of his father’s death, plagued by the question: How could God do this? Attempting to reconcile with the loss of his father, Berryman turned to sex, alcohol and literature. “He was a searcher,” said Paul Mariani, a professor at Boston College and one of Berr yman’s biographers. “He was looking for God, but he was angry with God.” Berr yman began teaching at the University of Minnesota in 1955 with help from friend and fellow professor, Allen Tate. During his 17-year residency at the school, he published most of his major works, including “77 Dream Songs,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1965. But Berryman’s literary achievements couldn’t fend off his demons. On the morning of Jan. 7, 1972, the 57-year-old poet lifted himself onto the railing of the Washington Avenue Bridge, waved to onlookers and jumped. Four decades later, artists and aspiring poets, intrigued by Berryman’s tumultuous biography, are turning to him for inspiration. Indie rock bands The Hold Steady and Okker vil River have written songs about him. James Franco is tr ying to make a movie about him. Al Milgrom is filming a documentar y about his legacy. Peter Campion, the director of creative writing at the University of Minnesota, and Philip Coleman, a Trinity College Dublin professor, are planning a conference at the University for Berryman’s 100th birthday next year.

Berryman Page 6

MEN’S BASKETBALL

U student finds solace in basketball Jordan Lynn has used sports to cope with his parents’ deaths. BY SAM GORDON sgordon@mndaily.com

Kelly L ynn wanted her oldest son to graduate college. Charles L ynn wanted his oldest son to play college basketball. This year, Jordan L ynn has the chance to do both, but his parents aren’t here to see it happen. L ynn, a University of Minnesota sport management senior, lost both parents in a nine-month span during the last year. For the 21-year-old, it’s been surreal. “It didn’t feel real,” he said. “You never think that stuff can happen.” L ynn is hear tbroken. He’s confused. And he’s set to graduate in May. “However he’s doing

CHELSEA GORTMAKER, DAILY

Sport management senior Jordan Lynn tried out for the Gophers basketball team Oct. 2. Lynn has practiced with the team but is unsure if he can commit to this season.

it, it’s amazing to me,” said David Breitenbucher, L ynn’s high school basketball coach. “I just can’t imagine being at the end of college and having both my mom and dad gone.”

L ynn’s resume is brimming with internship experience. And now, he has the chance to add to it by living out a childhood dream. On Oct. 2, the 6-foot-8inch L ynn was one of 18

players who tried out for the Gophers men’s basketball team. u See LYNN Page 9 Lynn is considering his options before committing to the team.

VOLUME 115 ISSUE 30


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